“…Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.” Mark 8:27b-29
As a reminder, their target audience is the late-teen, and young adult Church members. For the sake of brevity, we’re simply looking at a few comments we’ve pulled from the article written by Lynn Robbins.
For those who aren’t aware, Mr. Robbins has served in a number of LDS General Authority positions. He was recruited, if you will, from the business world where he was one of the founding members of the Franklin Institute (now Franklin Quest).
Seeing as how his previous vocation was in business time management, one might think his article might reflect his expertise, alas, it didn’t come close. Mr. Robbins main concern seemed bent on finger-pointing, and the ever-present LDS blame game.
Ironically, Mr. Robbins’ keen sense of business savvy didn’t include making time to study false teachers. Neither did he admit to the real reason they’re experiencing an unprecedented high number of early missionary releases.
Mr. Robbins stated the Church’s missionary problem is similar to the problems Henry Eyring, LDS apostle, and BYU President, is facing with kids dropping out of university before graduation.
He also seemed to think kids today are lacking the ‘virtue’ of resiliency.
“We face the same concern in the Church with a higher percentage of full-time missionaries returning home early from their missions than in previous generations. Some missionaries face serious health challenges or other trials that necessitate early releases, but others simply may not have developed enough of the virtue of resilience.”
Hmmm…
It seems Mr. Robbins’ definition of resiliency means there’s only one way to properly react to questions. Granted, there can be numerous reasons why these kids are leaving early, but it’s hard to believe so many are lacking the ability to bounce back. If they’ve made a decision to move on, haven’t they proven they’re resilient?
Whatever happened to the LDS teaching of God granting men the ‘agency’ of worshiping whom they please? (Article of Faith 1:11)
The article also quoted the Church’s missionary department who said the young missionary’s emotional problems include the fact they ‘just hadn’t learned how to deal with challenges well…’.
While not knowing why they’ve left, it’s silly to pretend we know all the answers. That said, the majority who leave do so because of the Church’s lies about its history, and numerous contradictions in LDS canon.
Mr. Robbins also lied about who/what caused the problem —
“Universities, the military, and the mission field aren’t causing the problem; they are simply revealing it.”
What does the military have to do with missionaries leaving early? They’re trying to divert attention away from the issue in an effort to make people forget the real topic at hand. The Church’s problem is their unwillingness to tell the truth. The lies aren’t just ‘revealed’, but magnified 24/7 while away on missions. Tragically these kids are discovering this stark reality when they’re hundreds, and sometimes thousands of miles from home.
Here’s the final noteworthy comment from this article…
“The world is changing. The Lord has reserved for today spirits who are capable of thriving in the face of today’s challenges. Our charge as nurturing parents is to help prepare them to meet those challenges head on by cultivating and encouraging their resilience, faith, and fortitude.”
For the record, they were telling the Baby-Boomers (my generation) the same lie that God ‘reserved’ us for challenges in our time. Truth: kids are best served when parents teach them to have integrity, and stand up for truth.
This LDS article has to be one of the worst things I’ve seen in awhile. Blaming young kids because they’re not sticking around for the lies is deplorable. The high missionary turnover rate is the Church’s problem, not the kids who stopped believing lies of the Church. Remember beloved, Satan is the accuser. Revelation 12:10
I was 30 when I left the Church, and had a fair amount of life experience behind me. Even then, however, it was one of the most intense things I had ever gone through. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do it without Jesus, and His loving reminder of a Bible passage I held onto as a teen; ‘Thou art the Christ’.
These are just young kids, and it’s probably the first time they’ve ever been on an extended trip away from home. Imagine the confusion and loneliness they’ve certainly experienced. It’s little wonder they pack their bags.
Pray for Jesus to remind all Mormons of His word, just as He did for me.
If you’re LDS we’re praying you turn to Jesus who always tells the truth!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle